No Defense

From PolitickerME:

Allen's campaign routinely criticized Collins for voting in favor of the 2005 energy bill. They say it was backed by President Bush and Vice President Cheney, and spurned the spikes in oil prices.

A spokesman for Collins' campaign, however, said that Collins acknowledged the bill was imperfect at the time. Also, he said, it passed with the approval of 74 senators.

And this tells us what?

Collins voted for the bill. Acknowledging that it "was imperfect" doesn't explain anything. And pointing to how others voted is a distraction, not a defense.

So we aren't any closer to an answer to the question, Why did Sen. Collins vote for the Cheney energy bill?

I still have no idea why.